Give satisfactory explanation or quit: Cong to Akbar

New Delhi: The Congress said Wednesday Union minister M J Akbar must either offer a satisfactory explanation on the allegations of sexual harassment against him or resign immediately.

The party also demanded an inquiry into his conduct.

As the #MeToo campaign gathered momentum in India, some women journalists have come out and accused Akbar, a former editor and now the minister of state for external affairs, of sexually harassing them during his stint as a journalist.

Congress spokesperson S Jaipal Reddy, in a press conference, said, “I think Mr M J Akbar must either offer a satisfactory explanation or resign forthwith. How can he be in the ministry with serious allegations being levelled against him by responsible journalists who worked with him. Let there be an inquiry into it. We demand an inquiry into M J Akbar’s conduct.” 

Reddy also questioned External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s silence on the issue, saying she is evading responsibility and is not prepared to comment on her subordinate.